Filed To Story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“The Albus Order is very mysterious. We don’t even know who their leader is. However, they are known as the miracle of the medical field. Especially the ‘Bloodletting and Bone Fumigation Therapy’ they have invented. I’m not even exaggerating when I say they could revive the dead with that…”
“People say that no matter how sick someone is, they can fully recover within ten days after receiving treatment from the Albus Order leader. If we can somehow contact them through Layla, we might be able to even cure your hemophobia, let alone your eyes!”
Francine then sighed deeply, wiping her tears away silently. “Honestly, I’d rest in peace knowing that you’ve recovered from your condition. I wouldn’t have any regrets if I dropped dead right then.”
Initially, Halston wasn’t quite paying attention to anything his mother said, but hearing the words ‘Bloodletting and Bone Fumigation Therapy’ piqued his interest.
“I’ve only heard of Scraping Therapy, not Bloodletting and Bone Fumigation. Putting everything else aside, this Albus Order leader is pretty extreme. Are they intending to draw all of the patient’s blood?”
“Who knows? See, you’re getting curious, too, aren’t you? Since we can’t think of any other way either, why don’t we look for that expert and give it a try? Anything is better than doing nothing, right? What do you think?”
“If you can really find this miracle doctor, I’ll give it a try.” Halston seemed to be less rigid now.
At the start, he only wanted to lock himself away from the world, refusing any medical treatment. Hence, it was quite a hard journey for him to open up to the idea of trying.
Little did they know that he was only willing to try this because he figured that he might die from receiving such extreme treatment, not because he wanted to recover from his condition.
He couldn’t possibly commit suicide in his current situation. He didn’t want to seem like a coward and didn’t wish for the living to mourn over his death for eternity. Moreover, dying from an ‘accident’ did make him feel less guilty for making this final decision.
To him, this miracle doctor’s supposed treatment sounded as ridiculous as spirit possession. Thus, it was a suitable method for him to pass away without any regrets or guilt.
Francine naturally didn’t know that Halston had such plans, thinking her son was finally coming out of his darkness. She was so overjoyed that tears flooded her eyes. “This is great. You’ve finally come around, Halston! Don’t worry, I’ll find whoever that leader is even if I have to dig through the Earth’s crust…”
“Besides, we can’t stay in such a passive state. I received news that your second uncle and your cunning cousin are making moves again.”
“I told you to get rid of them for good last time, but you just had to let them go because you still considered them family! Now we’re in for more trouble. They’ve been plotting in secret for so long that it looks like they’re making a comeback soon!”
Francine was feeling more anxious as she spoke, her lips twisted into a deep frown. “And there’s this other thing… I didn’t want to tell you at first, but the situation doesn’t allow me to hide it from you any longer.”
“What is it now?”
“I have been keeping your blindness an absolute secret for a while now. That’s why no one but us would ever know about your condition.”
“Yet lately, there’s been rumors being spread around, and the board of directors is starting to feel uneasy. With Jovan provoking them even further, they’re demanding to hold a shareholders’ meeting at the end of this month. If you have yet to recover by then, you might lose your position as their CEO…”
“So be it. I can’t do much as a blind man anyway. Giving that position to someone who is more capable won’t be a bad thing for H Group.” Halston was already in the depths of despair. He wasn’t even interested in staying alive, let alone fighting for power and status.
“Didn’t I just praise you for your improvement? Why are you so depressed again? I told you that this will be temporary and you’ll get better. If you just hand over your position like that, what would happen to our family if Jovan was the one who took that chance?”
Francine didn’t want to risk it and continued advising Halston. “You know just how cruel Jovan can be. He wouldn’t be as merciful as you if he had that chance. Me and your father aside, I don’t even think he’d let Abby and Adie off. If you really want to step down, wait till you’ve secured a future for the kids first. Understood?”
“Adie… Abby…” Halston mumbled his precious children’s names, the sadness in his eyes compounded. “What right do I have to call myself their father now? I don’t think they’d even want someone useless as family.”
“Then don’t be useless! You’re just blind and still have your smarts to back you up, and you’re definitely still capable of managing the company. It’s just that you can’t show yourself during this period of time. Don’t let anyone, especially Jovan, find out that you have lost your sight. Else we’d have more problems to worry about.”
Francine had already thought this through and had only announced to the public that Halston caught a severely contagious disease. She told everyone that he was still in recovery and couldn’t manage the company or receive guests for the time being
However, a lie like that would only cover up the truth for so long. The limited time they currently had was a great incentive for her to find this Albus Order leader as quickly as possible.
Just then, one of the maids shouted in a panic from outside, “No, Master Jovan. Our madam said that no one is allowed to enter without her permission! Please cooperate with us.”
“What the heck? I’m part of the Guajardo family, too, you know? I came to see my cousin. I heard he’s sick, and I’ve been so worried this whole time!” Jovan said in a loud and sarcastic tone as he strode into the manor, despite the maid’s attempt at stopping him.
“Damned kid! He’s like a f*cking ghost. We can’t even mention his name in this house!” Francine was so mad that she started cussing, then turned to Halston. “Head back to your room. I’ll handle him, for now. And remember… Don’t show yourself!”
Jovan was in the living room at the time. His hands were in his pockets, his expression nonchalant and arrogant. “Hey, Aunt Francine, your maids are so stubborn. I just swung by to check up on Cousin
Halston, but she wouldn’t let me in! It’s like you guys have some kind of secret to hide.”
Francine knew that they were still the passive party and didn’t want to fight with Jovan. After all, this man was insane, and fighting with him would only result in a lose-lose situation.
With that in mind, she put up a smile and greeted him instead. “Hey, dear nephew, what brings you here? It’s almost midnight, but you still went out of your way to visit us. I’m so touched I could cry! But, well… Halston caught a pretty bad contagious disease, so he needs a lot of rest. He went to bed hours ago, so he can’t see you just yet!”
“That’s okay, I’m feeling tired too. If you don’t mind, Aunt Francine, I could stay for the night. Then I can just see Halston when morning comes.” Jovan replied and started going up the stairs.
“I’m sorry, this is actually Halston and Flossie’s house. Only their close ones are allowed to sleep over. If you really want to visit him, you could come earlier tomorrow.”
“As you said, this place is my cousin and his wife’s. Does that mean I can stay if I got permission from Flossie?” Jovan smiled slyly.
When Francine heard Flossie’s name, her expression immediately became unnatural.
At that moment, she was unaware of Flossie’s current condition but guessed that she must be in great danger since she had fallen into Seraphina’s hands.
She sighed quietly with a tinge of melancholy, but she had no regrets.
It was all because that wicked woman had sought to harm her only son with a passion. Besides, Flossie did not regret it, which was why Francine felt that it was not outrageous to hack her into pieces.
“You know that Halston divorced her. It’ll be useless even if you call her. Just keep in mind that Halston dislikes unrelated people staying overnight…”
She sounded unconfident, so she gradually became impatient. She tried to drive him away. “It’s getting late. Lisa, see him to the door.”
However, Jovan’s teasing smile turned chilly. He went straight to the point and stated, “Aunt Francine, don’t think of getting rid of me that easily since I came to you at this hour. I came asking for her. I won’t leave if I can’t get her.”
“What… Who are you looking for?”
“You should know very well who.”
Jovan’s eyes turned ruthless as he said, “I heard that she met an actress called Shirley this morning. She contacted no one after that. What’s more, I heard that you took this actress called Shirley as your goddaughter in previous years just to please Halston. The only person she contacted after Flossie disappeared was you… I feel that there’s something wrong with this affair. Aunt Francine, shouldn’t you explain?”
Consequently, Francine’s expression became more hideous. She snorted and retorted, “You’re her brother-in-law, but you care so much about your cousin’s ex-wife. Your extensive connections go way beyond my expectations too. I think you’ve planted a lot of spies around my family and me these years. Well, you’re indeed awesome.”
“Likewise. Don’t you and Halston know full well of my actions too?”
He smiled coldly as he sighed.
“So, you came to make a scene here in the middle of the night because of that woman?”
Francine interrogated as her eyes became sharp.
She thought that Jovan had learned about Halston’s blindness, so he purposely came to find fault with him. Unexpectedly, he came for Flossie. It made Francine hard to handle.
“Yes, you can say that.”
Jovan nodded. He did not at all hide his strong purpose before he answered honestly, “Let me have her, and I’ll leave right away. If you refuse to hand her to me… Umm, I’m sure you’re well aware of my temper.”
“Preposterous!”
Francine said disdainfully, “Why do you care so much about her? Don’t tell me that the rumor in the gossip magazine is true. Are you her first love? You guys have been entangled with each other from god knows when, and she cheated on Halston?”
“I don’t deny that I like her very much, even more than the love Halston holds for her. But it’s unimportant whether she likes me or not. After all, I have ways to make her fall in love with me in the future.”
Jovan raised his chin, and his smugness came on display, admitting his feelings for Flossie openly.
“You… You’re a pervert! How dare you covet your sister-in-law. I’ll call Master now and ask him to disown such an immoral and shameless b*stard like you!”